1. Field of the Invention
This invention relates to Gatling type guns, and more particularly to the angles of the longitudinal axes of the gun barrel and the gun bolt with the longitudinal axis of the rotor.
2. Prior Art
The classic gun as shown by R. J. Gatling in U.S. Pat. No. 125,563, issued Apr. 9, 1872 apparently had all of its gun barrels and their respective gun bolts on longitudinal axes which were parallel to the longitudinal axis of the rotor, i.e., the axes formed a cylinder. H. McC. Otto in U.S. Pat. No. 2,872,847, issued Feb. 10, 1959, proposed to skew the cylinder of gun barrels to provide upon firing a force component in the direction of rotation, so as to reduce the external power required to drive the gun. In the M61A1 Vulcan gun the gun barrels are arranged in a truncated cone, with each gun barrel on a longitudinal axis which is at 0.degree.45' to the longitudinal axis of the rotor. In the GAU-8/A gun a smaller angle was used. Perrin et al in U.S. Pat. No. 3,897,714 issued Aug. 5, 1975 teaches deflecting the muzzle end of the gun barrels towards or away from the longitudinal axis of the rotor. Similar deflections are shown by R. F. Prince et al in U.S. Pat. No. 4,114,510 issued Sept. 19, 1978 and by F. M. Blodgett Jr. et al in U.S. Pat. No. 4,015,508 issued Apr. 5, 1977.
However, in all of these guns, the gun bolts have a longitudinal axis, and reciprocate along paths, which are parallel to the longitudinal axis of the rotor. The lack of coaxialism of the gun barrel and its respective gun bolt provides several disadvantages: A vertical load vector is imparted to the gun bolt on firing. The projectile of the round of ammunition may strike the top of the chamber of the gun barrel during the ramming stroke. In the larger calibers the face of the gun bolt should be machined at an angle other than 90.degree. to the longitudinal axis of the gun bolt.